


The Messenger

by SanguineScale



Series: Chronicles of an Alchemist [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Dark Fantasy, F/M, Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 17:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20998520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SanguineScale/pseuds/SanguineScale
Summary: A tale of blood and fire.Young Alexander Kingsmith is enlisted to be a Royal Messenger for his uncle, the King of Nolia. However, danger lurks at every turn and Alexander soon finds that a lowly messenger isn't safe in his own home. In world where even small children can manipulate electricity and bears can seethe fire, Alexander must find a way to survive using only his wit and his blade. But, an accidental discovery may prove that there is more to his world than he ever imagined.





	The Messenger

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original, in-progress work of mine that does not belong to any particular fandom. Changes may occur throughout writing and posting.

Alexander rolled out of bed, the book he had been reading the night before tumbling in a heap to the wooden floor below. He opened his mouth to a yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with one hand as he blindly reached down with the other to snatch the book that had escaped him. As he did so, his finger slipped along the edge of a stray page, slicing it open. Alexander swore under his breath as blood dripped from the fresh wound, staining the book and piercing him with pain. When the initial throbbing finally stopped, he frowned and finally proceeded with picking up the book. He examined the stained page, which was inked with the chapter title: "Shaper Myths: Alchemy". It was the chapter he had just finished the night before, and so the fact that it was stained with several droplets of blood no longer mattered to him. 

After he had slipped a tunic on and finger-combed his hair, he stumbled downstairs. His father was already awake and at work at his smithing bench, A half-finished steel sword before him. His hand carefully glided down its edge and glowed with a faint red hue, heating the metal below to a molten orange. Alex frowned slightly at the sight. Casting. Much like a majority of the kingdom he lived in, his father was able to manipulate various forms of energy, in this case heat. However, unlike most common folk, he could cast without the aid of a catalyst stone. Alex, however, was of an even rarer breed than his own father. He was one of the few people in the entire kingdom who couldn't use any form of casting at all.  
It wasn't for lack of trying, however. Not only had he spent 2 years at the college of sorcery as a young boy, but several more years afterward studying on his own and trying everything he could think of. It was all to no avail, however, as he had never succeeded in producing the tiniest spark or flame. He was considered an idiot for not being able to do what even a child could do with a small amount of training. Eventually, he had given up and instead decided on learning how to survive without casting. 

"I'm guessing there's a good chance you forgot to eat breakfast" Alex joked, crossing the space to the kitchen for some bread and cheese.  
"Same as the chance that you forgot to eat dinner last night" His father responded, eyes still focused on the glowing metal before him. Alex plopped down on the opposite side of the smithing bench, setting the bread and cheese between. He grabbed a serving and went to work filling his stomach. His father, Bron, glanced up from his work for a moment, examining his son with a knowing gaze before continuing.  
"Will you be returning after practice? There are a few orders with some detail work I could use your assistance on." His father questioned.  
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be back afterward." He muttered in return instinctively, not really focused on the routine question. 

Bron finally stopped his work on the unfinished sword, wiping a line of sweat from his brow and set to work on finishing the meager breakfast before them. When both were satisfied and full, Alex lazily stepped over to his own corner of his father's workshop, where a desk was set aside for him covered in a collection of various powders, minerals, and liquids, as well as a heaping pile of sketches and notes strewn about. Just as Alex sat down, sticking his hand into a nearby stack of papers and pulling out a blank sheet, a small scaly head poked out from behind a bottle, two bright red eyes peering at him expectantly from gleaming silver scales. Alex chuckled slightly at the sight and smiled warmly, extending out his arm and watching as a snake, no more than a few feet long and no wider than a gold coin, wound its way up his arm and to his shoulders. 

"Good morning Seph. Keeping our home safe?" Alex asked the creature rhetorically.  
"I'd say so. I found a few more stone corpses of rats she petrified. I'd hate to see what she would do to an actual thief. Gives me the shivers every time..." His father answered from across the room.  
"At least she gives you plenty of raw material to use, hard to dismiss that little benefit." Alex responded.  
"True enough, but I'd be happier if she could turn them to iron instead" 

Seph was one of Alex's pet Basilisks, a small snake with a hawk-like head which was not only capable of turning living creatures into stone, but could also turn itself to stone in self-defense. They were not native to his country, and instead Maribell, a girl he had befriended at his time at the college of sorcery, had sent him a pair as a gift. Because of the mysterious nature and power these snakes held, most people simply called them Stone-serpents, giving up on any attempt at understanding them. 

Alex held up a vial of Seph's venom in front of his eyes. It was a clear liquid, with the just the slightest tinge of green. Despite the rest of the world's efforts to avoid them, Alex found them to be quite fascinating and had done all manner of tests on the venom he obtained from the two. Most of his little experiments did not go anywhere, but every result still seemed like a new adventure for him. After checking on the progress of a few of his on-going tests, Alex returned upstairs to tidy himself up. He combed his mat of reddish brown hair into a fine part, the sides falling just below his ears and revealing his dark red eyes to the world. He washed his face, checking himself in mirror to make sure his fair skin didn't have any dirt smudges to embarrass him. Once satisfied, all that was left was to don a nice gray vest and slacks. His family's crest, a hammer with a star on the head, was embroidered onto the vest's pocket, marking him as a Kingsmith. It was the family name the King had gifted to his father for his service to the crown and his skill at forging weapons. 

Despite the fact that he was heading out for combat practice, his instructor, Marth, insisted that he come clean and well dressed. He said it helped to tell how hard someone had worked at the end of practice, seeing how dirty and torn they ended up. Alex was inclined to disagree, but wasn't about to debate the topic openly with Commander Marth. It simply wasn't worth the effort to him. Returning downstairs, Alex grabbed the iron sword leaning against his desk and flitted out the door, offering a brief wave to his father. 

***

"Good parry, Alex. Now follow through"  
"Don't lose your focus..."  
"Excellent stroke! You are staying light on your feet" 

Captain Marth's comments during their practice duel were as predictable as they were distracting, always seeming to come right at a moment he needed to focus on a blade swing. Each thrust of his blade came at him ruthlessly, and each word as honest as the iron in his grasp. Alex both detested and respected the man who served as his combat instructor. He was simultaneously inspiring and exasperating, intelligent and dull, regal and suave. Marth served as commander of the city's guardsmen, including both casters and sword-mages, and additionally helped train any noble who wished to train in the art of sword-play. These days, Alex was the only one who attended his practice sessions. 

"You are losing focus again, Mr. Kingsmith" Captain Marth chided as he slapped Alex's side with the flat of his blade.  
Alex frowned at his instructor, who was smiling at him with a wide grin as if he had achieved some great feat.  
"Where do you go in those little moments of yours, Alex?"  
"Oh just imagining stabbing you in the groin..." Alex returned with a forced smirk.  
"Ha, apparently Mr. Kingsmith still has energy!" 

Captain Marth took up a ready stance again and Alexander mirrored it, Iron sword in hand. A gleam in Marth's eye told him that he had some plan. He had seen that same gleam innumerable times. Alex wasn't sure what to expect, all he could do was be prepared. 

Suddenly Marth dashed at Alex, sword raised high for a simple yet powerful vertical Strike. Alex confidently raised his sword to parry the blow to the side, before suddenly realizing he had made the wrong decision. Mid-swing, Marth's sword lit up in electric sparks, and as it collided with Alex's sword, energy shot through straight to Alex's arm, every muscle tensing as he yelped in pain. When the pain subsided, his muscles relaxed and the sword dropped to the ground. Alex couldn't stop himself from shooting a nasty glare at his instructor, who hovered nearby with that same grin as before. 

"I'm well aware you can't cast, Alex, but that won't stop your enemies from using every tool they have. Now, pick up your sword. How will you respond?" 

Marth's comments forced Alex to admit that he had no reason to complain at his instructor doing what he could already naturally do. Marth could cast electricity and was adept at running it along his blade, so he had earned the title of being a sword-mage due to this. One did not earn this title easily. Not only did they need to be as skilled at the sword as they were at casting, but they needed to be able to do both at the same time. Inevitably, most sword-mages ended up using their sword itself as the focal point for their casting. Meanwhile, Alex couldn't even match his instructor on sword-skills alone. No doubt, his instructor once again wanted to test his student's greatest asset: his mind. 

As he took another ready stance, Alex took a moment to ponder his options, eyes darting around his surroundings for anything that might help him. He couldn't just simply swing at his instructor; if his blade was blocked it would end the same way as before. He had to find a different way, and as his eyes alighted on a nearby barrel of oil that had been set aside for training, he think he found his method. Marth once again charged at Alex, his blade pointed forward for a fluid thrust. Alex stepped backwards and to the side before dashing to the nearby barrel of oil, plunging his blade into the thick goo before turning to face his instructor as he caught up to him, oil coated sword in hand and at the ready.  
"That's not going to protect you from getting shocked" Marth commented with a raised eyebrow. 

Alex simply shrugged. As his legs settled into a low crouch, he suddenly sprang forward and wound his sword back as if to strike. As his arms swung, he released the sword from his grasp and tossed it, blade first, at his instructor. Captain Marth knocked away the projectile instinctively. However, as his electric blade contacted the oil, it burst aflame, blinding his vision and distracting his free hand which had been thrown up in protection. Alex had hoped for this, as his body continued moving forward. He collided with Marth, wrapping his arms around his midsection and driving him to the ground. As both fell to the dirt, he pulled a small dagger which he kept in his boot and brought it just up to Marth's throat, smiling devilishly at his defeated instructor.  
Marth blinked a few times in shock, trying to piece together what had just occurred and how his student had pinned him. "In all my years, I don't think I've seen anyone do that." He exclaimed. Alex carefully pushed himself up before helping Marth to his feet, who took a moment to dust himself off. 

"That was quite the move you pulled, Mr. Kingsmith. I may not understand how your brain works, but I do love what comes out of it"  
"It kind of felt like I was cheating though..."  
"Nonsense. In battle, there is no such thing as cheating. There is only winning, and losing. Nothing more, nothing less. You must do what you need to win."  
"I understand. Thank you, master..."  
"You should know, Alex, I've recommended you for a position at court. The King has a position to fill that requires someone of unique skill and asked for my input. I named you." Marth said after a few moments of silence had passed between them.  
"You....you what? A position at court, that's not possible..." Alex said in exasperation after he had finally comprehended what his instructor had just said.  
"It is possible, because it's true. You and I will be going to meet with the King tomorrow after our morning practice. You'll get the rest of the details then. Now, go on home. I have troops to order around" Marth finished, putting a stop to all further questions. 

***

As Alex returned home from practice, he could already see his father from a distance chatting with a customer. His father spotted him from the distance, waving him over enthusiastically.  
"Alex! You have a customer. Come and be friendly." He yelled to his son. 

Alex sighed in frustration, releasing a heavy breath as he continued onward to see what he could possibly be needed for. Nearing closer, he paused as he beheld a young woman, nearly as tall as he was with long silky hair in an odd mixture of silver and auburn-brown, and enchanting eyes of deep violet. She appeared just slightly older than he was, though her face held a certain childish innocence. As she spotted him coming into view, her expression lit up in joy, hands clasped eagerly behind her back. 

"Lord Alex! I hope I'm not bothering you. I need some more help. That stick launcher you made me....I may have broken it...." She admitted sheepishly, averting her eyes as an obvious blush rose against her pale skin.  
"You're not bothering me at all miss Lila, don't worry. Let's see the crossbow and I'll see what I can do." Alex greeted her awkwardly, shifting from side to side on his feet. 

Alex wasn't good with people in general, especially young women. And he was most certainly not good with naturally happy young women like Lila who were so effortlessly friendly. Lila had been visiting their little shop often lately, almost once every couple of weeks like clockwork. Each time she always had some strange new request, and often his father made Alex do most of the work. 

Lila nodded and pulled out the crossbow she had been hiding behind her back, setting it on the counter. It was a mangled wreck, and could be barely recognized as anything once resembling a weapon. The wooden handle was badly splintered in several areas, as if crushed under some great weight, and the metal from the actual bow had snapped completely in two. Alex stared at the remains of his work in complete awe that it had been so miraculously destroyed. 

"Why don't you take her to the back of the shop to discuss. It looks like this might take a while..." His father said with a chuckle. He winked at his son as Alex shot him a deathly glare. He knew what his father was trying. He wanted to set his son up with the flirtatious girl who could snap a metal crossbow in half. Alex wasn't enthused at his father once again trying to decide things for him. However, he merely nodded before turning back to Lila with a polite smile. 

"I don't know how you managed to do this, but lets go back and see about a new one...." Alex offered sincerely.  
Lila brightened at the offer and nodded her head excitedly. She stepped around the counter at his direction and followed him through a doorway into the main smithing area of their shop, to the back corner where his workstation lay. Lila carefully set her mangled weapon on the table between them, a hint of guilt in her eyes.  
"So this one cannot be repaired then? But you put so much work into it for me..." She commented, her eyes following him as he stepped around the table, eyeing each part of the damaged metal.  
"I'm afraid not, It'll be much easier and cheaper to just make a new one. I'll git rid of this wreck for you and we can talk about how to make the next one a bit sturdier. I still don't know how you managed to make this happen..." Alex moved to grab the crossbow, but Lila quickly yelped and stopped him, laying her hands on his to halt him before quickly pulling them back.  
"No! No...please don't throw it away. I'd still like to keep this one if that's okay..." She pleaded, mustering all of the innocence she could into her gaze. Alex could barely keep his eyes on her without his face flushing red. He relented easily, nodding his head.  
"If that's what you want, go right ahead. For this next one, let's go ahead and make the entire thing metal. It's going to be heavier..." Alex paused, before sighing slightly and releasing a slight chuckle "...but I'll make sure this doesn't cost you a single copper. It's my fault the last one didn't work for you. I'll have my father forge the handle. It'll never break if he's the one to make it" Alex suggested, Already pulling out parchment as he began jotting down sketches and ideas.  
"Why can't you make the metal handle?" She asked suddenly, frowning.  
"Oh, I'll never be able to forge metal like my father can. He's the best in the kingdom. I'm really only good at designing the little details and coloring his finished items." He explained back, still continuing his sketches and trying to give himself a reason not to stare at Lila.  
At this remark joy seemed to return again to Lila's face. "Oh, you can color metal? You never told me you could do that. Would it be asking too much if you colored this one for me then?" She pleaded. She seemed intent on Alex doing as much of the crossbow as possible, and even he was able to tell despite how socially oblivious he was.  
"I can. What color would you like?" He asked in return, looking up at her.  
"You can choose, I would just like you to color it for me." She responded gleefully. 

Alex nodded and jotted a note down next to his sketches. Lila watched intently as he drew, curious at each new line and point that alighted upon the parchment. All seemed to disappear for Alex as he became sucked into the idea that formed before him. Minutes drained away as each new plan was inked onto the page. After close to half an hour had passed, Alex suddenly realized that Lila was still there and he had nearly forgotten. Cheeks flushing red in embarrassment, Alex turned to stare at his client, who was still grinning as brightly as before. She apparently had not noticed the passage of time either, that or she was too polite to mention it. 

"How does this look for you?" Alex said through a cough, holding up the finished drawing to her.  
"It looks wonderful! I am very excited, Lord Alex." She said gleefully.  
"Good. We will start work on it then"  
"When do you think it will be ready?"  
"It should be ready tomorrow evening. If you like, I can bring it over to you when its done." He answered without thinking, his focus on the conversation already waning as his head became filled again with images and diagrams.  
"Oh, wonderful! Then please allow me to buy you a drink as thanks when you do. I'm staying at the Charred Paw Inn." She offered in return. Alex nodded his head, barely registering that he had accepted having a drink with his customer. 

Alex was suddenly awakened back to reality when he heard a shout escape Lila's lips. But it was more a shout of joy then horror. Alex jolted his gaze upwards to look for the source, before frowning in frustration. It was Seph, and her sister Pari, poking their angular heads out from either side of an eschew book on his desk. Seph's silver scales glimmered finely in the morning sun that leaked through a nearby window, while Pari's pewter scales easily blended in with the shadow of the book she had chosen to hide in. 

"How beautiful! Are these your serpents?" She asked as she stared at the pair, wonder-eyed and curious. Alex, meanwhile, carefully inserted himself between Lila and his pair of basilisks, anxious that they may view her as a threat and try to attack.  
"Yes, they have lived with me for quite some time and seem intent on sticking around. This one is Seph, and this one is Pari..." He explained as he pointed to each one in turn.  
"Wait, they are stone-serpents aren't they? Most people don't dare even get near them..." She pointed out, still staring at the two with a wide grin, but making no effort to move past Alex. Alex cocked his head, thinking. By her wording, it was as if she meant that she too thought nothing of their dangerous stories. 

Sighing, Alex placed his hand down flat in front of Pari, who examined it for a moment before slithering up his arm and securely atop his shoulders, where she regarded Lila with a rather discerning stare. Lila moved her head closer to Pari at this, her skin just inches away from Alex, to the point where he felt oddly ticklish. 

"They trust you a great deal, don't they? I was always told that stone-serpents despise other creatures, but this one seems very protective. Well, worry not young one. I promise I will not harm Lord Alex." She cooed.  
She carefully raised a finger near Pari's head, who took a moment to consider the stranger before her until deciding that she would rather retreat to safety behind Alex's neck. Lila pouted at this, obviously hoping that the basilisk would have deemed her worthy to hold her. 

"Thank you once again, Lord Alex. I will leave you to work. I look forward to seeing you again soon" Lila said with a curtsy, leaving Alex to ponder what had just happened. He could hear his father and her exchanging a few words before she finally left, his father appearing nearby a few moments after he heard the door to the shop close. 

"She would make a good pairing, you know" His father blurted out.  
"Until she finds out I can't cast" Alex replied with an eye-roll.  
"She doesn't seem vain enough to care about such things. Besides, you really think its for me that she keeps coming back so often?"  
"I need you to make the handle on this for me" Alex said, ignoring his previous comment and handing his father the diagram he had drawn up.  
"I'll work on it right away. Can't keep pretty miss Lila waiting, can we?" His father teased with a slight chuckle.  
"Oh leave it alone, please?" Alex finally begged. He couldn't deal with anymore of the teasing.  
"Okay, okay." His father relented. "I've got seem pieces over there that need coloring. Should be standard blue for all of them." He continued, nodding at the small pile of swords. 

Alex trudged over to the pile, examining each one and the notes his father had left with each. It mostly standard long swords, as well as a few custom blades. All of them were for guardsman, and all of them wanted their swords to be in the same dark blue as on the kingdom's crest. 

Alex went to work carefully dipping each piece into a barrel of cloudy liquid, a substance he used to control the reaction at the metal that would get him the blue he needed. Each piece was carefully lain to the side to dry and monitor as he moved to the next once. He could re-soak each piece or wash it off entirely depending on if the blue was too light or too dark. It was, too him at least, pretty a process but one his father did not feel comfortable with for some reason. Alex theorized his Father simply wanted him to feel like he was making a contribution and not just simple labor.  
"You know, Alex, Lila already knows you can't cast" His father added into the silence as they worked. Alex breathed deeply, trying to calm his nerves and re-focus on his work. They continued like this well into the late afternoon before his father finally closed the shop for the day. 

***

"So, when do I get to meet this girl. What was her name again...Lola?" Alex's cousin teased from across the table.  
"Lila. And never, she's just a customer of my father's" Alex replied, eyes narrowed at his instigator. 

All around them, conversation bubbled at a low murmur. Alex found himself at the Royal Claw, a tavern in the Noble's quarter of the city frequented mainly by well-to-do merchants and lords trying to escape their ladies. Across the table sat his cousin Osmund, son of the King and Prince of the realm. Osmund's mother was Alex's Aunt, however because it was through his mother's side it terminated any hopes he had at staking a royal claim for his own family. Still, he was able to enjoy the benefits of noble status, which included drinks at quiet taverns such as this one. 

"Whatever happened to that other girl...who was it again...Maribell!" His cousin exclaimed aloud, causing a few nearby patrons to turn and see what the commotion was.  
"I haven't seen her since our time at the college of Sorcery, same as you dimwit. Why is everyone trying to set me up, right now" Alex blurted back, settling into that comfortable energy he could only manage around his cousin.  
"Because if someone doesn't nail you down, that fluttery brain of yours is gonna make you float away" Osmund teased back.  
"At this point I wouldn't mind floating away. Besides, Maribell lives across the mountains in Darenth. Only the Royal messengers go that far, and I'm not about to send a personal message with one of them." Alex said. 

Osmund seemed to chuckle at this, and Alex wasn't sure why he found it so hilarious. Frowning, he took a deep gulp of the ale in front of him, drowning out the days memories. He grimaced at the bitter taste and all too potent flavor of alcohol. Whoever had made this batch had let it ferment for too long. He pushed the flagon and its remaining contents to the side, focusing on his cousin. 

"How about you? I don't see you settling down yet either, Mr Handsome Prince"  
"Oh come now, you know the answer to that one. Father is saving that little detail until the right political match arises. So, I have to live vicariously through you, cousin."  
"Well then prepared to be as perpetually disappointed in me as my father is"  
"Ha, I'm willing to gamble that you will find yourself a beautiful girl to rival whatever princess or lady I end up with. So beautiful that she might not even have a hairy mustache." 

As the night waned, Alex and his cousin departed at the tavern entrance, bidding each other a safe evening. Osmund's duo of guards escorted him safely into the night, Alex watching with a slight pity. He wasn't sure how his cousin was able to tolerate being surrounded by people and guards at all times. It would drive him crazy not having any time alone. Putting the issue to rest in his mind, he turned and stepped lightly on the cobblestone path that led home. Two-story stone buildings of various grays and browns rose all around him, their dark-wooden roofs shading the stony road below. A cloudless night breeze wafted through the alleyways, chilling Alex's spine and signaling the coming harvest season. A full main suspended high the night sky shared enough light to lead him the rest of the way home.


End file.
